Maeve Bidonde, Staff Writer
The Minecraft Movie hit theaters and brought about police calls and a viral reaction that serves to make the lives of the theater employees that much harder. The reaction in question is moviegoers throwing their popcorn and drinks in the air when Jack Black’s character, Steve says the line: “Chicken Jockey!” in response to a baby zombie riding a chicken. The reaction has led to theaters having to ask audience members not to engage in disruptive behaviors during the movie and in one such showing police had to escort a group of kids out of the theater.
According to People Magazine, many theaters are posting on social media or releasing statements telling those who see the movie that if they engage in the trend and disrupt screening of the movie they face ejection from the theater and possibly having the police called. The trend itself leaves a large mess that the employees end up having to clean up between screenings and ultimately ruins the showing for others in the theater.
Videos posted across social media show just how chaotic the trend really is. According to The Independent, one video from a cinema shows people in the theater shouting, throwing popcorn in the air, and refusing to settle down, resulting in the cops being called. Furthermore, The Independent details the response of theater employees in videos they post on social media:
“I’m a theatre employee: by throwing water, popcorn and all that onto people (which many have been doing) y’all are making our jobs harder.” posted one employee. Another responded by saying “Theatre employee here. Please, please, please just don’t be obnoxious. I worked both opening days and it has been a living nightmare. Nothing wrong with cheering during big moments, but don’t be swearing.” Theater employees are tired of the behavior and the huge messes they are left to clean up.
The behavior reached a boiling point recently at a theater in Warwick, Rhode Island. During a showing of “A Minecraft Movie” a group of four teenage boys participated in disruptive behavior during the popular scene and two adults asked them to quiet down. After the movie came to an end the boys followed the adults out to their cars.The boys stabbed the adults, but have since been apprehended by the police. The adults’ injuries were non-life threatening and the teens will be sent to a Rhode Island Training School. According to The Providence Journal the teens stabbed the adults because they were not thrilled with being told to be quiet while participating in the trend.
Theaters discourage disruptive behaviors such as being on your phones and talking during any movie but the discouragement is especially hefty for “A Minecraft Movie.” The film came out two weeks ago and the viral trend has caused nothing but trouble for theaters, theater employees, and local police departments. The trend itself has inadvertently become a cause of violence between moviegoers and has left theaters having to issue statements of warning and enforce consequences on theater goers who disrupt the movie.
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